Newport News police use surveillance cameras in crime fight

NEWPORT NEWS — — When police had questions about a reported robbery and shooting at 30th Street and Roanoke Avenue earlier this month, they turned to a video camera for answers.

Footage from a nearby police surveillance camera helped investigators quickly determine that the 22-year-old Newport News man who said he had been wounded during the Feb. 12 robbery had lied. Police determined the man had accidentally shot himself in a vehicle a few feet away on Roanoke Avenue.

"I can't say the camera was the only reason investigators determined the robbery didn't occur, but it sured things up for them," said S. Smithley, a detective with the Newport News Police Department's intelligence unit. "Within 30 minutes, we were able to determine a robbery didn't happen in that location."

Newport News police officials say a network of police surveillance cameras have become an increasingly important weapon in their fight against crime.

The police department is using about two dozen surveillance cameras — both in plain view and concealed — to keep an eye on criminal activity and other happenings in the city, said Chief James D. Fox. The cameras are mostly in crime hotspots, but at least one now appears in City Center.

"This is definitely a force multiplier," Fox said. "You can't put a cop on every corner, but we can put a camera in every hot spot."

The police department's camera surveillance program began in August 2007 following a string of homicides in the city. Grants and police forfeiture money have funded the approximate 25 cameras currently in use in Newport News, Fox said.

The technology allows police to view and capture video in public settings where the motion-sensored cameras are located — sometimes up to three blocks away. The cameras can zoom-in to provide police with clear details, such as a person's face, clothing and vehicles in the area.

Footage from the cameras, many of them in the Southeast section of the city, can be viewed in real time or at a later date. The footage can ve analyzed from desktop computer, laptop or cell phone, Smithley said. Police have an official surveillance room, however, in police headquarters.

Cameras can also be reviewed by 911 operators during emergencies.

"Cameras will never replace old-fashioned police work where you have to get out there and investigate," Smithley said. "If a crime is caught on camera, it takes a lot of guess work out of the situation."

The use of camera technology has become a widely-used policing tool in Newport News.

In November, police used a 15-foot-wide helium balloon equipped with a camera during the city Christmas parade, Hollydazzle, in City Center. The camera — which flew overhead — was used to monitor traffic during the event, in addition to spot any commotions in the crowd of about 35,000 people.

The police department currently has the ability to remotely access surveillance cameras in city schools, at City Hall and in the courthouse, in addition to local businesses that have given them permission, Fox said.

He is currently in talks with management at Patrick Henry Mall about getting access to its camera system, but Fox also wants the ability to tie into cameras at the Newport News-Williamsburg International Airport.

"It's not something we would monitor all the time," Fox said. "However, if an alarm did go off, we would have the ability to see what's going on and provide details to responding officers. If something happens at the courthouse we zoom in and find out what's going on there."

Police officers will also soon be equipped with body cameras.

The police department, however, has found its greatest success in the use of video surveillance cameras, Fox said.

Although police have not calculated the exact figures, he said footage from the cameras have been used to help arrest and prosecute wanted individuals, in addition to robbery, shooting, homicide and drug cases. Fox said a 2012 homicide was captured on video.

Smithley said a detective from the intelligence unit attempts to monitor the cameras at least once a day when possible. Detectives are able to radio crimes they see to patrol officers who will make arrests.

"They can book them and do everything, and I never have to leave from here," Smithley said from the police surveillance room Feb. 14. He said the officer who views the video must testify in court concerning what they viewed.

He said police are making many arrests because of the cameras.

"Everyday we catch people on cameras doing illegal activity," Smithley said. "I have arrested someone two days in a row for selling narcotics off of one of these cameras."

The success of the surveillance program is prompting the police department to considering adding more cameras, Fox said. He would also like the police department to eventually have a real-time crime center where surveillance cameras are monitored by staff 24 hours-a-day.